Scars
by Plasma Snow
Summary: Sequel to Whumptober 8th-Stab Wound. Must read in order to understand. Based on the Whumptober prompt 'Scars'. October 15th, Scars. Months after recovering from the torture he'd endured at the hands of Johan, Toothless sees his rider's scars for the first time since he'd found him mutilated by the man. How will the Night Fury react? More of Terror and Stout!


**Whumptober 15th-Scars. Sequel to Whumptober 8th-Stab Wound.**

It was a hot day on dragon's edge. Hiccup was in his hut shirtless as he worked in the forge. Most of the other riders were out swimming, though Astrid was training in the arena near the dome. She'd been feeling the need to sharpen her skills ever since they'd found out Johan was betraying them.

Toothless sat next to the bed, purring as he tried to sleep. His tail fins were covering his eyes, but when Hiccup dropped a piece of hot metal on the floor with a loud clang, swearing because he'd burned his right hand, the Night Fury looked up quickly.

Toothless was surprised because he'd never seen his rider shirtless since he'd been captured by Johan about half a year ago when Hiccup had been tortured and nearly broken by his capture. It was a miracle Hiccup had learned to walk without support from another person again and could work in the forge, though as shown just now he still made mistakes when his hands would begin shaking and he'd lose control of his once dislocated wrists causing him to drop what he was working on. Astrid still had to help him exercises twice a week to make sure his joints didn't grow weary.

Toothless saw some of the now healed scars he hadn't seen before. Five dark red marks covering his back from the Terror tooth coated whip. The two along either of his ribs had grey and white splotches where the skin had torn open by the...stretching it had occurred.

Toothless also noticed the small burn marks Hiccup covered with his long sleeves. The one under his ear and the ones going down either arm. His chin scar was also a swollen pink rather than a fading white ever since Johan had reopened it.

Toothless could see the bruising Hiccup earned every time he did his exercises to make sure his joints were strong. He still wore leather wraps around his elbows over his armor, and had to use two metal rods connected to each other with leather wrapped around either of his knees to keep them from bending backwards, though he was able to remove them on good days when he wasn't too tried or when he would be flying Toothless.

Toothless was brought out of his thoughts when he saw Hiccup reach down to pick up the metal with metal tongs which had handles coated by leather. The Night Fury growled when Hiccup stood strait again, showing how his thin skin folded a little where the scars were when Hiccup moved too much.

Hiccup was surprised to hear his dragon growling at him and sat the metal deformed sword in a water filled barrel before turning to his dragon with a confused expression. He saw how Toothless gazed down the front of his torso where the scars along his ribs wrapped around his sides so the edges could be visible from the front of him. The Night Fury had growled at Astrid the same way when she'd first started helping Hiccup treat his once open wounds.

Sighing deeply as his own memories began bothering him, Hiccup moved to the bed, removed his prosthetic and braces so his knees could have some time to relax, and sat down while gesturing for his Night Fury friend to come over.

"I'm okay now bud. Battle scars only signify the wounds that happened in the past."

Toothless inched closer and sat his head in Hiccup's lap, looking up at his rider's face with wide acid green eyes and crooning sadly. It was obvious he was worried about his best friend. Hiccup managed to let out a sad chuckle, cringing when Johan's voice echoed in his head though he shoved it back.

His experience still haunted him to this day. It'd taken months before he could engage with the other riders, let alone leave his house.

"I know you wished you could've gotten to me sooner Toothless, but the past is past. There's nothing we can do about it now." Hiccup's voice cracked as pain erupted in his heart. His eyes glazed over with tears, and two of them fell. He had only recently gained all of his memories of the events he'd been through back and the past hurt him, gave him images and thoughts he didn't want to have.

He just felt like he had no control.

"We have to keep moving forward bud." Hiccup leaned down and held Toothless' head in his arms, closing his eyes. Toothless pushed up into him, moving onto his hind legs so he could wrap one of his wings around his rider.

By the Red Death he wished he could've gotten to his rider before Hiccup had been so broken down and injured beyond the point of lost mobility.

"I love you Toothless. Even if you couldn't get to me because of the battle. You know that."

Toothless purred heavily, nodding his head in agreement.

The duo's moment was broken apart when the sounds of two adolescent Scauldrons rang in their ears. Hiccup moved to the side just before Terror could shoot his arm. Stout stood quickly and growled at his sister, defending Hiccup from his rather aggressive sister. Terror wasn't meaning to attack, only playing, though she didn't seem to grasp the concept that her water shot could kill a human. For all Hiccup knew she might've thought he _was _a Scauldron since the dragon riders had been raising the two of them ever since their mother was killed when they were only hatchlings.

"Yeah yeah. No time for pitying little old me." Hiccup laughed when Stout jumped into his arms, nuzzling him affectionately. The siblings had grown quiet a pit, just their necks and heads alone being as long as Hiccup's body up to his neck. Their bodies were about as long as Meatlug's tail, and their tails were almost as long as their necks. Since they were only in the adolescent age they had a hard time balancing their weight while walking because their necks were bigger than their bodies. They normally stayed in their large pool in Hiccup's hut or in the cove on The Edge.

"Little dragons come first. I'll get you two some food and then we'll stop by the clubhouse." Hiccup looked at Toothless with his tired eyes that seemed to always be lacking energy, smiling when the Night Fury wagged his tail like an overgrown puppy.

"You ready to go flying bud?" Toothless let out an odd purr-like rumbling noise, his head pointing upwards and body shaking like a bird fluttering it's wings to dry them off. He nudged Hiccup who nodded enthusiastically and put on his prosthetic, deciding he didn't want to wear the braces since he'd been flying.

"Let's go!"


End file.
